ISRO Launches Aditya L-1 Mission to Probe the Sun’s Secrets: Live Telecast at the Regional Science Center in Rajkot

“India’s ambitious Aditya L-1 mission takes off from Sriharikota, promising vital insights into the Sun’s activities.”

In a significant stride towards unraveling the mysteries of our solar system’s celestial giant, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the Aditya L-1 mission from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, today at 11:50 am. The event was commemorated with a live telecast at the Regional Science Center in Rajkot, Gujarat, showcasing the momentous occasion.

The Aditya L-1 mission carries a paramount objective: to furnish the scientific community with a comprehensive understanding of the Sun, whose dynamic nature exerts a profound influence on space-based technology, telecommunications equipment, and satellite systems. This mission’s significance lies in the impossibility of conducting such studies within the confines of Earth-bound laboratories.

At its core, the Aditya L-1 mission seeks to delve into the Sun’s outer atmosphere, meticulously examining elements such as energy, heat, solar wind, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), solar flares, and near-Earth space weather. It marks the first attempt to observe the solar system in high-resolution ultraviolet light, offering an unprecedented vantage point of merely 1.05 radii from the Sun.

The mission boasts an array of scientific payloads, including the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), set to photograph the Sun’s corona and perform spectrometry for elemental insights. The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) will capture images of the Sun’s chromosphere and photosphere, while the Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEX) will delve into the Sun’s mysteries through X-ray spectroscopy. The Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) will scrutinize solar wind and particles, while the Plasma Analyzer Package for Aditya (PAPA) will provide data on electrons and plasma in the solar wind. An Advanced Tri-axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometer (ATHRDM) in three axes will measure solar wind and near-solar magnetic fields.

Notably, Aditya L-1 will be positioned at Lagrange L1 point, known for its exceptional solar observation conditions. This Lagrange point is also home to the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

The mission, launched via PSLV-XL from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, employed a powerful rocket with six strap-on boosters to propel Aditya into an Earth parking orbit before commencing its 120-day journey to reach Lagrange point 1 using its own rocket engine.

The Aditya L-1 mission represents a significant stride in India’s quest for scientific exploration, promising to provide invaluable insights into the Sun’s intricate workings and its impact on our technological infrastructure and space environment.